Salem, NH truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Salem: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Salem and Rockingham County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Rockingham County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.6 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Rockingham County compares with New Hampshire
Rockingham County against New Hampshire and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Rockingham County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Rockingham County | New Hampshire | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 36.3 | 30.4 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 46% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.39 | 0.39 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.9% | 4.2% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 17.1% | 20.2% | 6.2% | 15% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.3% | 29.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.2% | 22.8% | 13.8% | 11% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 47.0% | 47.6% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.8% | 16.3% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Rockingham County sits below New Hampshire on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above New Hampshire on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and after dark.
The headline for Rockingham County: 1.4 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 2.6 in New Hampshire.
Overview
Rockingham County has recorded 1,352 truck crashes since 2015, with 530 people injured and 19 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 3 days.
Salem had 115 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Rockingham County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is February with 11.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is September at 6.4%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 47.0% of truck crashes, vs 47.6% for New Hampshire.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 8.3% of truck crashes.
17.1% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 20.2% across New Hampshire.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Salem since 2015: I-495 (4), I-93 (4), SR-110 (4), SR-111 (2) and SR-125 (2). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 64 of the truck crashes here, or 4.7%, compared with 4.2% in New Hampshire.
Their busiest month is February, with 12% of garbage-truck crashes.
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 1.6 deaths compared with 1.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Salem fleets
- Review driver schedules for February, the month with the most truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at February schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Rockingham County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-495 | 4 |
| I-93 | 4 |
| SR-110 | 4 |
| SR-111 | 2 |
| SR-125 | 2 |
| Broadway Rd | 1 |
| Elm St | 1 |
| SR-121A | 1 |
| SR-128 | 1 |
| SR-28 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Rockingham County) |
|---|---|
| Calef Hwy | 11 |
| Plaistow Rd | 8 |
| SR-101 | 7 |
| Lafayette Rd | 7 |
| Ocean Rd | 6 |
| Main St | 6 |
| Indian Rock Rd | 5 |
| E/Exeter-Hampton Expy | 4 |
Salem at a glance
| Population | 31,673 |
| Land area | 24.8 sq mi |
| Density | 1,275 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 03079) | $110,490 |
| Median home value (ZIP 03079) | $473,025 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Rockingham County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 62 | — | 2.6 |
| 2000s | 87 | +39% | 2.2 |
| 2010s | 113 | +30% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 106 | -6% | 2.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 62 to 106. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.0 a year in 2016–19, 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Salem
How many truck accidents are there in Salem?
Since 2015, 1,352 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Rockingham County (530 injured, 19 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Salem?
February has the most truck crashes in Rockingham County, 11.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Salem?
64 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Rockingham County since 2015, 4.7% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Salem compared with New Hampshire?
The yearly rate is 36.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Rockingham County, vs 30.4 for New Hampshire.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Salem?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.